JoshC.

First of all, great entry - really enjoyed reading it!
In some ways, I don't like judging scare attractions on just one run through, simply due to the very nature of them. However, in other ways, it makes it a lot better as, after all, the mazes should good quality all the time. So, based on my one experience of all the mazes...
Cabin in the Woods was great. The tone it created was great, and I didn't think the lighting was weak at all. Each scene was effectively designed and it all worked very well. The latter parts of the maze were poor due to how the maze operates - everyone has choices in the first half, before being rammed down the second. That was the maze's main fault, along with a lacklustre ending which I cannot remember.
As for the other mazes - Saw was lit up very well and effectively. Blair Witch was too dark in some ways, so you couldn't take in some of the theming around. What was worse was the lack of audio - pre-recorded rustling in the bushes, screams and gusts of wind would have been great. This was the one attraction which required atmosphere, and it was ruined by the fact it tried to use the surroundings to create an atmosphere. It was like the park tried cutting a corner and paid the price. Asylum's strobes weren't as annoying as previously, but it is a pretty boring feature after a while. MBV was just rubbish.
Did the IPs improve the mazes? Well, Cabin is certainly an improvement on Hellgate and Passing (even though I quite liked Passing). Blair Witch, which has essentially served as a replacement for The Curse is actually alright. Okay, so it wasn't scary and wasted so much potential, but for a 2 star attraction, I think it was actually okay. Still needs work of course. MBV was just poor and NEEDS a rethink. The beginning speech was actually really good - something I really enjoyed - but everything else was distinctly below par. I mean, I had some sort of inflatable bed pushed against me at one point - like, what?! So, the answer is yes and no.
I think Thorpe need to experiment a bit more with IPs; work out how best to execute them. One thing which they haven't tried is something which actually utilises a story. At best, we get a quick minute blurb at the beginning of a maze. We need something which actually has a story which is strung across the entire maze; a level of interactivity. Hopefully they will try it again next year. I don't think IPs restrict creativity of designers per se: they can still create whatever they want, they just need to work with a story which isn't their own. Based on the levels of theming we saw (which I thought was quite good), we should see the designers become more creative with stories and how to scare people.
I'm going to feel like a bit of a broken record saying this, but I think that Face it Alone shows the Thorpe can create good, effective scares. However, it's a case of they need to strike a balance between doing these scares and getting people through. We saw them try with Passing charging for a maze; unfortunately, the idea and the maze itself were met with mixed responses. We saw them try something wild with Experiment 10 in 2011, but that resulted in horribly long queues. The trouble I'm seeing the park having is that they haven't found the best way to balance scares and 'getting the numbers' - let's see how they deal with that next season.
So I do agree with you in some ways, but I think there's a much bigger picture to this all. Thorpe are constantly trying to improve Fright Nights, even if the quality of mazes we get doesn't improve (or gets worse). They are trying new, and sometimes innovative, ideas to them, and experimenting with what works and what doesn't. Whilst it doesn't mean we get the high-class Halloween event now - which is shame - I can see that being the case in a year or two from now...

Bleh that's weird how none of the pics work on here now... Work everywhere else...
I dunno, John got put into a cage and according to Kristof/Jereon it sounds more like Face it Alone is ripping off Project Z but adding nudity because it needs to be 'edgy'...
EDIT - Pictures now fixed... Stupid TPM...

Thanks for this Josh, I find it very interesting of these plans of Colossus and how these plans turned out to be. I'm certainly pleased about the way the ride has turned out after all these plans considered.

Interesting to read this after we know they're targetting families now - has your viewpoint changed since?
I believe it'll always be for the older families, those that can enjoy the majority of attractions, however you need more rest rides - those which you can relax on, those typically which have been removed in recent years. A few of those to balance out those hardcore thrillseekers and those which aren't quite ready yet!

Interesting for me to read this back as well actually!
I think my viewpoint is pretty similar. Thorpe should remain a park where the main focus is the thrill rides; I don't think there's anything wrong with that. I still think the park should focus on a broader age range - probably a focus on children as young as 8, up to about 55-60 year olds. A family-friendly major coaster is a must now, and would work a treat.
I agree with you about having more rest rides though. It helps break up the day, and creates a more even spread of what families want to do. Add in a show of some sorts - using either the cinema or the Arena - as well, and I think it'd be great.
The recent shift is almost spot on - the park feels a lot more friendly to kids and families now, without the loss of a fun day for friends too. Hopefully the next couple of years will aid that!

I loved reading this Josh! Cheers for posting.
I knew they had a launched coaster planned but I hadn't seen the layout like this.
I'm glad we ended up with Colossus. I wonder what TP would look like today if the launch had been built instead? Certainly Stealth wouldn't have been built.
I'd love to see that admissions graph extended all the way to to this year.

My favourite part of that growth is the jump in attendance at Towers thanks to Nemesis

I have ridden witches haunt once and remember it being a creepy and dark house with lots of scenes passing as well as going up and down the building. The one thing I remember is the scary entrance with those path lanterns and eerie entrance sign. I don't remember much of the ride but recall enjoying it even if it was a little scary.
It's a great shame the ride was burnt down as it would likely still be at the park today, although probably tomb blaster with ghosts.

Thanks for posting these pics Josh!
I vaguely remember riding Wicked Witches Haunt when I was a child with my Dad (mum & little sis waited outside!) and being absolutely petrified the whole way round! I must have been about 6 or 7 I think.
The thing I remember most about it was the suspense in the station.
If you look here you can see how it is today - even where the buildings suddenly get "chopped off" where the old building used to be.

I know I rode both a fair few times, but with the passing of time they have merged into one in my head and it's all a bit hazy, which is a shame. I don't recall anything being particularly 'jumpy', it was more an overall spooky and atmospheric thing.
The ballroom scene, the banquet scene and Sweeney Todd stick in my mind. Watching that video reminded me of that bell that slowly rang and for no reason at all terrified me! Had totally forgotten about that. But my clearest memory is of the ride loading station itself, which felt so grand and complete surrounded by skeletons up in the ceiling with the constant procession of cartridges circling around below before disappearing into the darkness.
I remember loving it, I just wish I could remember exactly why!

Sweet Dreams tho

I'm a bit confused here Mark - what do you disagree with? Yep, 1995 they were competiting with Chessington, and the opening of Legoland drew ever nearer. The park was still a completely different place, and no doubt a thrill ride was thought as a natural step for a family park, especially when you look at the succusses of others, like you say. But still, I think X was never meant to be this scary thrill ride - at the time, the park had Calgary Stampede for thrill rides. But they needed something big, a centre point, and whilst it was designed to target the older audiences, it could never have been a proper thrill ride of a coaster; it wasn't the sort of park to install such a thing.
I completely agree with the incorrect advertising in recent years, as whilse the park developed and installed 'real' thrill rides, X seemingly remained as a 'big boy'; just one who was wearing shoes a couple of sizes too big. In the past 2-3 years, the pinching and pushing you speak of has been blindingly obvious, and hopefully we can finally see X find its place at the park.
I have mixed opinions on queueing outside. The queueing outside keeps the mystery for longer I think. But at the same time, it builds suspense, creating a fear of the unknown to those who don't know what to expect inside, which is not what should happen with X - it is not a ride to be feared any more. That's why X needs an upbeat theme - adding a scary / dark theme makes people expect a scary ride, and X is anything but scary. I guess that H&S stop there being too many people queueing inside, but I think depending on how any possible retheme works out, the outside queueing section could be made to 'fit in' better.
As for the possibility of it being turned forwards (I know it's pretty much all but officially confirmed that it will turn forwards, but I'm not going to say it will be till it's confirmed..), that doesn't take away from the fact it was the the world's first backwards in the dark coaster. Colossus is still the first 10 looping coaster, despite there be other 10 looping coasters, and an 11 looping coaster opening this year. It would just so happen it is now facing forward. As for the 'X:' (it's a bakslash, not a forward one! ) part of the name, I believe that was due to the original theme of the ride, a computer virus, as it is computer-related.
I agree about the forwards bit; the backwardsness of the ride is what helps make the ride so random. Turning it forwards could well make the random less random and, instead, further highlight the weak layout that X has.
And thanks!

We are very different!!!
I'm not going to pretend to understand much of that, but isn't it great when you can incorporate your passions into work/studies? Secret to a happy life me thinks.

I also believe when it comes to a 'vanilla coaster' that these will never become extinct - only because any new parks or up and coming places will usually go for the standard coaster as their first port of call. No gimmicks etc as the first roller coaster's gimmick is - hey check us out we have a roller coaster.
It's not until they expand further and want to offer a difference to their ride line up that the gimmicks start to make an appearance.
Interesting thoughts though

Josh, this really is such a wonderful post.
I really, really commend you for not giving up even when faced with prejudice, and after so many years as well! It's great that you've finally found an constructive fitness outlet that you've come to enjoy, and are already seeing and feeling the physical and emotional benefits of. We all have problems with how we look and such - very few people ever say they're satisfied with everything, but the difference with your (past!) problem and similar problems with so many people I've met even at my Uni is that you took the incentive to get fitter and made it work for yourself, and now that's something you can truly be proud of.
Lovely to hear you've set yourself goals as well. Wishing you the best of luck and perseverance.

What an inspiring story! It's great when the whole fitness thing just "clicks".
Running the London Marathon is a great goal, and I wish you the best of luck

Love it, Love it, Love it.
This is the beauty of being a coaster enthusiast as you put it. We're all so different and little things make us tick. The joy and love you hold for Antelope is the same that I hold for rides like the Runaway Train and Safari Skyway at Chessington.
You've put it so eloquently, awesome blog Josh. =)